Senator's staff talks reimbursement with health providersNORTH LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Representatives from dozens of Arkansas medical facilities told stories Wednesday of lost medical records, requests for reimbursement that have gone unpaid for months and other problems when asking federal officials to pay for medical care provided to veterans. U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, sent staff members to facilitate a meeting between local and federal Veterans Affairs officials, medical facilities, physici...

Governor OKs bill allowing Ten Commandments displayLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas' governor has approved legislation that will allow a monument to the Ten Commandments to be constructed near the state Capitol. A spokesman for Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday said the governor had signed the bill requiring the state to allow a privately funded display of the commandments to be built on the state Capitol grounds. Lawmakers sent the measure to Hutchinson last week. Supporters of the proposal have sa...

Fort Smith hikes sewer rate to fund system improvementsFORT SMITH (AP) — Fort Smith city directors voted Tuesday to increase sewer rates by 60 percent in an effort to raise money to pay for almost $500 million in sewer system improvements. The directors passed the ordinance 6-1 on Tuesday. It will raise volume and billing charges three times over the next 20 months. According to calculations by Fort Smith consultant Burns & McDonnell, the typical household in Fort Smith will see its sewer bill inc...

Hutchinson signs bill to aid Arkansans with disabilitiesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Families of people with disabilities will be able to set up tax-free savings accounts under a bill signed into law by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Republican Rep. Julie Mayberry of Hensley says her bill will empower people with disabilities to be more self-sufficient. The accounts can be used for education, transportation, health care and other training or support. The state treasurer, director of human services and director of reha...

Jonesboro officials reject anti-discrimination protectionsJONESBORO (AP) — Jonesboro city leaders have rejected a proposal to protect city employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Jonesboro Sun reported the proposed ordinance failed to get enough support to advance at Tuesday's city council meeting. The Arkansas State University Gay-Straight Alliance advocated for changes similar to protections approved earlier this year in Conway and North Little Rock. Studen...

Settlement reached in Highway Police bias lawsuitLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit accusing the state's highway police of racial bias in its employment practices. Terms of the settlement weren't included in the electronic case file of the lawsuit filed by former highway officer Darren Smith. A spokesman for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department said that the settlement document hasn't been signed yet and that he couldn't provide more information. Smit...

Pine Bluff council asks alderman to resign after racial slurPINE BLUFF (AP) — The Pine Bluff City Council is asking Alderman Bill Brumett to resign after he used a racial slur during an online debate. The council unanimously passed a vote of no confidence Monday. The alderman was not present at the meeting because of a family trip. Brumett, who is white, was arguing with a Pine Bluff native on Facebook last month when he became agitated by the man's misspelling of the alderman's name. Brummet says he t...

Senate approves updated religious-objections billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers have given initial approval to a new version of a religious-objections bill after Gov. Asa Hutchinson asked for changes in the wake of a growing backlash from critics who called the measure anti-gay. The proposal approved by the Senate on a 26-6 vote Wednesday bars state and local government from infringing on someone's religious beliefs without a compelling interest. A day earlier, lawmakers sent a simila...

Senate endorses proposal to restart executionsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A bill to restart executions in Arkansas after nearly a decade without them has cleared the Senate and is headed to Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Senators voted 25-4 Wednesday evening to allow the Department of Corrections to use a combination of three drugs for lethal injections in addition to the existing method of a single barbiturate. The agency would also be barred from releasing who makes or supplies the drugs. Proponents say t...

Lawmakers give final OK to $5.2B budget billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers have given final approval to a nearly $5.2 billion budget that boosts money for public schools, Medicaid and prisons while cutting most other state agencies' funding by 1 percent. The House on Wednesday approved by an 82-1 vote the proposed Revenue Stabilization Act, which sets spending priorities based on expected revenue. The Senate approved an identical version of the measure by a 29-4 vote. The proposa...

Reworked publicity rights proposal passes panelLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A publicity rights proposal vetoed by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison has been revived, reworked and passed by a Senate committee. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday advanced a bill that is still similar to one vetoed by Hutchinson on Tuesday. The bill doesn't contain language that the Motion Picture Association of America said was too broad and could lead to frivolous lawsuits. The original bill was filed after the fam...

Lawmakers advance constitutional amendmentsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Longer term limits for county officials, allowing the governor to retain power while traveling and removing a bonding limit are among proposed constitutional amendments that Arkansas lawmakers want to send to voters. The House and the Senate on Wednesday evening both voted to advance three proposals put forth by the Joint Committee on Constitutional Amendments. Each proposal needs approval by both chambers before appearing o...

Ex-congressman who gave Bill Clinton first defeat dies at 92LITTLE ROCK (AP) — John Paul Hammerschmidt, the longtime Arkansas congressman who defeated Bill Clinton in the former president's first race for political office, died Wednesday. He was 92. Hammerschmidt first won election to Congress in 1966 - a milestone election year for the state's Republicans. Hammerschmidt's election, and Winthrop Rockefeller's as governor, were the first for Republicans in those seats since Reconstruction. The GOP now c...

Governor urges changes to religious objection billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday called for changes to a religious objection measure facing a backlash from businesses and gay rights groups, saying it wasn't intended to sanction discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Republican governor said he wants changes to the bill that lawmakers sent him prohibiting state and local government from infringing upon someone's religious beliefs without a compelling inte...

Budget bill boosts money for schools, prisonsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas' public schools, prisons and Medicaid programs are set to receive boosts in funding while most other state agencies will see a 1 percent cut under a nearly $5.2 billion proposed state budget unveiled Friday afternoon. House and Senate leaders released the proposed Revenue Stabilization Act, the budget bill that's set to go before a legislative committee Monday as lawmakers near the end of this year's session. The pr...

Blytheville police search for suspect in murder plotBLYTHEVILLE (AP) — Blytheville police are searching for a man who is suspected of being involved in a murder plot. The Blytheville Courier News reported a man is wanted for conspiracy to commit murder. According to police, the man is suspected of being the intended hitman in a plot created by a Mississippi County inmate Tylon Calvin King, 28, to kill his ex-girlfriend, Tiffany Harris. Police say that calls made between King and the suspect ind...

Bill signed clearing path for Cotton presidential bidLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas has cleared the way for Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton to run for re-election and president in five years, even though the freshman senator hasn't expressed any interest in a White House bid. A spokesman said Friday Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed into law legislation that would allow U.S. Senate and congressional candidates to simultaneously run for president or vice president. Republican Bart Hester, who proposed the ...

House endorses Dave & Buster's restaurant billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas House has advanced a bill to allow the entertainment restaurant Dave & Buster's to move to the state where it began. Lawmakers voted 73-0 Friday to change the way the state regulates coin-operated games. Arkansas currently restricts the value of prizes in single-play games to $5 or less. In games where players can accumulate multiple winning tickets, the prize value is restricted to $12.50. The restaurant chain ...

Senate approves religious protection billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas inched closer Friday toward becoming the second state this year to adopt a law that critics say would sanction discrimination against gays and lesbians, with the state Senate approving a religious protection bill. The bill, approved by the Senate 24-7, prevents state and local government from taking any action that substantially burdens someone's religious beliefs unless a "compelling" interest is proven. The measur...

House panel advances Ten Commandments display billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Efforts to erect a Ten Commandments monument on the Arkansas Capitol grounds cleared a key hurdle Friday when some House members rejected objections that such a display would be unconstitutional. The bill would allow for a privately funded monument to be placed on the grounds, with its design and location to be approved by the secretary of state. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 upheld a challenge to a similar Texas monument —...